Like our circulatory system that brings blood from the heart to all parts of the body, so ARTery, a mobile art trolley, brings art to the individuals in their own community, or to patients' bedside providing distraction from their hospital stay by engaging them in a shared art experience. Since 1999 ARTery has been used in hospitals internationally for adult and paediatric patients alike.

Mission

The mission of ARTery Arts and Health Society is to support the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of individuals of all abilities, patients and residents of long-term care, hospitals, and populations affected by gender-based violence by engaging patients, families and staff in creative arts programs that promote well-being and build community.

Goals

We aim to relieve conditions associated with illness, disability, aging, or being a victim of gender-based violence by providing arts-based programs.

We engage with the person and remind them of their lives beyond their illness or trauma offering them opportunities to make choices, be creative and be part of a creative community.

Our vision is that all patients in hospitals will have an opportunity to explore their own creativity through our projects and in doing so, transforming the healthcare experience into a place of healing.

We hope to advance education by providing instructional seminars on the use of arts in promoting health to students, healthcare workers and artists.

What drives us is our belief that the arts can be a powerful tool in opening individual potential, developing and healing community and reminding patients of their lives beyond their illness. Collaboration and participation is at the core of all consultation, with projects designed to actively engage all stake-holders.

Working with professional artists we design and facilitate arts-infused programs that enrich the experience of patients in the hospital, and their families and staff.  While there are therapeutic benefits to participating in the process of creating art, that is not the primary aim, rather it is to transform their experience into one that makes them less institutionalized and engaged in the world. 

We work with you to build:

  • Arts-infused Programming
  • Intergenerational Social Engagement
  • Community Building
  • Healing Environmental Design
  • Program Evaluation
  • Employee Involvement
  • Training and Education